Paulo Olivas

Paulo Olivas

Assistant Professor

Earth and Environment; Sea Level Solutions Center; Southeast Environmental Research Center


Office: AHC5 361

Phone: 305-348-1688

Email: paolivas@fiu.edu

Paulo Olivas is an ecologist and environmental scientist with research that addresses environmental change at different temporal and spatial scales—Paulo is interested in the responses of the ecosystems, in particular vegetation and carbon dynamics, to changes in thermal and hydrological regimes. Paulo seeks to increase our understanding of environmental adaptations of the ecosystems to different climatic scenarios and develop strategies for management or mitigation at the appropriate scales.

Research Areas

  • Environmental change, responses and adaptations in natural and urban areas
  • Vegetation dynamics at multiple temporal and spatial scales
  • GIS and remote sensing
  • Citizen Science, community engagement and for environmental monitoring

Education

  • PhD in Biology, Florida International University
    Dissertation: Arctic Ecosystem Responses to Changes in Water Availability and Warming: Short and Long-Term Responses. 2007-2010
  • MS in Biology, Florida International University
    Thesis: The interactive roles of microtopography and moss cover for whole-ecosystem carbon flux in coastal wet tundra of Alaska. 2005-2007
  • BSc in Forest Engineering, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica
    Thesis: Demographic study of Podocarpus guatemalensis in Boca Tapada, Alajuela, Costa Rica. 1995-2000